This invention relates to a device and a method for use with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) such as, for example, quadrotors.
Small UAVs, such as quadrotors, are in current use for a variety of surveillance applications. Such UAVs are typically battery powered. Battery time/battery life is a known limiting factor in the use of UAVs where the surveillance mission flight time, for example is longer than about 15-20 minutes (the precise flight time depends upon a variety of factors such as UAV payload, battery manufacturer, atmospheric conditions, etc.).
Present techniques seek to address the critical flight time limitation caused by the battery, through improvements in UAV/battery design. For example, techniques have been developed to increase the time to discharge of the battery, to improve (i.e. decrease) the recharge duration, and/or to improve the efficiency of energy use of the battery by addressing design aspects of the UAV itself. Whilst such improvements have resulted in incrementally increased flight times, still there exists a fundamental problem with the limitations provided by existing arrangements.